February 24, 2010

Hello friends, did you see the "Bollywood Ice Dancing"and in Winter Olympics on Monday by a US team, Meryl Davis and Charlie White who won silver? It was soooo cool and colorful! Jai Ho!! :)

Email scam alert to all of you:I received an email last week saying that (with a fellow blogger's full name and her husband's name as well) they were robbed at gunpoint in UK while on vacation and they need money urgently to get back home. They asked me to help them sending about $1200 ASAP and they promised to return the money, I should trust them etc. Of course, I deleted it promptly. Then I contacted one of my blogger friends who advised me to change my password immediately and she told me that there is a big scam going on like this in India too! They hack an email address and sending the message to everybody this person knows using her name and her husband's name which is more shocking and confusing when you recognize this blogger's name. Some even collected the money to send it to help their friends in need only to realize that they have been scammed. I just wanted you to know this and be aware. Don't start sending money because somebody takes my name and send an email to you. Knowledge is power as they say! :)

Okay, back to business now:

Punjabi Egg Masala with buttered Shajeera, Ajwain and turmeric flavored square Parathas are at your service.A Punjabi fare today! :)What more can I say? This is the easiest and yummiest Egg masala I have ever made to serve with Shahjeera and Ajwain flavored Parathas. What makes it special? I used "Punjabi Garam Masala" I made at home last month in this Egg masala. It really makes a difference, has lot flavor than just any regular old store bought Garam masala, you can make your ownPunjabi Garam masala from here. I made the sauce in the Microwave (faster and less messy), but you can use stove top to make the masala too as I type in here. Vegetarians can use any mixed vegs or Veg Koftas to add to this masala instead of Eggs.

Hardboil 6 eggs, about 2 eggs per person for 15mins in lots of water on high heat. Drain all the water, fill the pot up again with cold water. This helps the shell to separate inside and makes it easy to peel the shell. If you put the boiled eggs with shell in the fridge overnight, peeling is even easier. Slice the Eggs halfway and keep them aside.Punjabi Egg Masala:1. Heat 1 tbsp Butter and 2 tsp oil, add 1 medium onion, finely chopped or ground, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, stir until onion paste is slightly reddish and soft.2. Add 1 tbsp Ginger-garlic paste, 1/4 tsp Turmeric, 1 tsp Paprika or Kashmiri (for color and heat) chilli pd, stir for 1 minute.

3. Now add 1 cup Tomato sauce, 1tbsp Coriander seeds powder and 2 tsp Cumin seeds powder, let it simmer for 15-20mins until sauce is thicker or oil shows up on top.4. Add few tbsps of water to cool it down and add 1 cup 2% milk or lower fat half and half, adjust the salt, sugar (to balance the tangy Tomatoes) and chilli pd to your taste. Mix well and simmer.5. When the sauce is smooth and thickish, remove from the heat and add 2 tsp crushed Kasoori Methi and 1 1/2 to 2 tsp of Punjabi Garam Masala, 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves, mix well.6. Add eggs to the sauce and let it sit for few hours or overnight in the fridge for best flavor.

Shahjeera, Ajwain and Turmeric square Parathas: (Click to enlarge the pics)As you know I keep on learning to make different kinds of folds to make Parathas, I just love the looks of them when they are done! Here, I added Shahjeera, Ajwain and turmeric to the dough and made the Parathas square. It's so much fun to eat them too! :)

To make square Parathas:Mix 2 cups of Atta, 1 tsp Shajeera (Black Cumin seeds), 1 tsp Ajwain seeds and 1/2 tsp Turmeric, 2 tbsp of oil, mix well. Add about 1 cup of hot water slowly and knead the dough to a smooth and soft but not sticky dough. Divide into 8 or more portions, make balls, cover and let it rest for 1 hour or so.

1. Roll out a dough ball to a circle, brush with oil, sprinkle some flour. Fold as shown in the pics brushing oil and sprinkling flour to a square shaped folded dough ball.2. Roll out gently again keeping the square shape, don't have to get a perfect square.3. Cook on griddle both sides, take out on a plate, brush with little ghee or butter on top. Stack up the other Parathas on top. Serve ASAP with any gravy.

Spiced up Okra-Yogurt Salad/Raita/Pachadi:I love this salad or Bendekai Pachadi as we call it. You can eat this by itself at lunchtime, Summer days are the best to have this cooling salad or serve this as a side dish with nutritious dal. Great with Parathas too since it's spicy, has a vegetable and tangy Yogurt. It has all the goodness of Okra, Ginger,Garlic and Yogurt. Enjoy.

Whenever you use Okras, make sure you fry or saute them in oil first before you make a any Okra dish, nothing horrible like eating slimy Okras. Take 4 cups cut Okras for this dish. Whole Okras are washed first, dried and cut into 1" pieces. Add about 3 tbsp of oil in a non-stick wok, add Okra and saute until Okra pieces loses it's sliminess and looks reddish and separate from each other. If you have many, saute them in batches. Cool and set aside.

To make salad:1. Heat 1 tsp oil, add 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds, 2 tsp Urad dal, few curry leaves, 2 green chillies sliced, 1 red chilly, broken. Saute until Urad dal is reddish.2. Add 2-3 tbsp chopped Cilantro, take it off of the heat. Add to a serving bowl, cool. Add 1/2 to 1 cup thick Yogurt, 1 tsp roasted Cumin seeds powder and sauteed Okra to the bowl with enough salt and mix.3. Take 2 tbsp water, add 2 cloves of Garlic and 1/2" Ginger in a pestle-Mortar and pound until they are mashed and squeeze the juice out into the Salad, discard the Ginger-Garlic solids.4. Mix the salad well and serve at room temperature.

My very south Indian traditional Okra and Yogurt spiced up Salad/Pachadi goes to Divya's "Show me your salad" event.

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Movies I watched:

"Paa":

Well....I watched Paa last weekend (alone this time). I have mixed feelings about this movie. It reminded me of "The curious case of Benjamin Button" although story line is totally different. I thought AB Junior looked very handsome and mature in the movie. Vidya Balan looks beautiful and great actress as usual. I thought movie is bit of a drag, same thing stretched to a 2 hours unnecessarily. I still don't know where the name "Auro" comes from or what it means! I hated the "Potty" jokes, "bastard" "round round round" dialogues and calling his grandma "Bum" because she has a big behind and all this is from a 13yrs old! I can understand a 4-5yr old making potty jokes and also I hope kids in India don't start calling their ajjis and Paatis "bum" after watching this movie! :DBut I did enjoy the movie, did feel the sadness when the boy dies in the end. It's hard for me imagine that scenario as a mother of a (almost 15yr old) son myself. Movie is well made and I can say I liked it except few scenes, worth the time.

Everybody's Fine:Heartwarming movie. An old and lonely widower, played by Robert De Niro, tries to get all his 4 adult children together at his home for Thanksgiving but none of them have the time or inclination to visit him. So he decides to surprise his kids by visiting them instead but each one make excuses that they are busy and can't spend much time with him, guides him on to the next child. They tell him that when they were kids he was too strict, pushy, expected too much out of them and that's why they preferred to talk to their mom than him. He says he didn't realize it but he just wanted the best for them.When he gets robbed in the city on the way to his daughter's home and loses his heart medicine, he calls his empty home just to listen to his dead wife's voice on the answering machine which gives him some comfort and made me so sad. He has a heart attack on the way back to his own home, then his kids gather around him in the hospital, they talk but also tell him that one of his sons has died. He goes home and what happens after that is for you to watch! All IZ well in the end I should say, everybody's fine! :)

Book: I am still reading or listening to David Sedaris's"Me talk pretty one day" , a collection of short stories which are autobiographical mostly,which are absolutely hilarious. I bought a collection of audio cd books of all David Sedaris's books and recordings of his live shows from Carnegie Hall. I am enjoying listening those cds now which is narrated by David Sedaris himself by his high pitched voice which makes you smile, some stories are "laugh out loud" funny and few uses lot of crude language too but supposedly a normal everyday southern vocabulary for his (NC born) youngest brother! :DThese are some samples of stories from "Me talk pretty one day".Here are some funny but bit R rated quotes by him from all of his books.

Have a great weekend, hopefully we will see the Spring sooner than later! :)

Even if they say freinds are in their death bed i am not going to send any to these ppl :-)My mom makes parathas exactly like that way you are folding, i veven make my chapthies like this when i am in good mood :-)I love egg curry, but H and S don't like any kinds of egg curry.Sick again, went to the doc yesterday, have Bronchatis, i have to take anitbiotics for next 10 days and also medicine for my barking cough.On top of it, we are going with S for a pop concert this friday. I hope i don't bark the hall down with my cough :-)

Hmm.... There is the next full fledged meal from Asha.... The paratas reminded me of my in-laws... Perfect!!!!! The square..... & the combo, the lavish egg curry..as usual gets me 'egg'cited.... Loved the color... It kinda tempts me a lot..... & I loved the bendekai pachadi..... I can feel its taste in my mouth.....

Loved the plate..... Afternoon I had been to 'SUGGI'...Taste of Malnad.... Oh! Yum! I finished the entire rice bowl for the first time in my life.... Loved the traditional Akki Rotti.... very soft like my hubby's side rotis.... On the whole I savored a sumptuous meal for lunch.... & now for dinner... It is this plate for me, by our talented Asha.....

Malar, I know how much you like non-veg stuff, I should make and post some chicken dishes here! :)

Aw! Finla, on top of what you have, now this! Okay, just take all the meds properly, don't skip any. Take some Halls cough mints to suppress the cough or just get out of the concert hall quickly! :DGood luck to S, I am sure she will do wonderfully. Hugs to you, take care. Btw, you can make the sauce and add chicken too to this masala, very tasty.

Hi N, glad you liked it. I love the the combo too. Of course, I would DIE for Eggplant dishes! Hahaha!

Ash, went to "suggi", I am soooo jealous of you now. I know, I love Coorgi style akki rottis too, I have poated the recipe as well. Did they make Ennegayi too? Man! I want to be there now, take meee too! :D

Oh Asha that is an ongoing scam. I received such e-mails from my friend's Dad's account and incidentally they were traveling at that time, it said they had lost money at the airport !!! Never believe such stuff.

i love egg curries of all kinds, so i am surely going to try this one out... lemme make that garam masala first.... love the sqare parathas... reminds me of my childhood, amma made them either triangular or square....havent seen Paa yet..

Hello Asha, I have been delurking your blog, you have a great blog.I tried your recipes samosa chaat and adai with brown rice. My family loved it.I love to bake but somehow i am challenged. Thanks for your wonderful recipes. Will try most of your recipes in future.

Asha, we are connected!! Guess what recipe I was about to post?? Okra raita. My tip is to wash them in ice cold water first and let them drip dry. This takes the slime away. Then I just mix a tablespoon of oil into them and stick them under a hot grill. Crispy okra, no slime, less oil!

Mallika, great tips! I always thaw the frozen ones overnight or wipe the fresh ones with wet cloth before sauteing, never tried in the oven although I do grill Cauliflower in the oven. Sounds great, love to see your Okra too! :))

Haha! Thanks Nandini, I will send them to you NOW!

Manasi, my kids HATE Eggplants and Okras! :PPaa was good, made me feel sad a little in the end.

sra, Avarekalu saaru!! SLURP!! I can't wait to see it in your blog! YUMMY!! I have to soak the dry ones now, will wait for your recipe. Thanks for telling me about that scam, helping lot of people before it's too late. Thank God.

your posts are always a treat for eyes... every time I see it my stomach churns and I had rush to the kitchen to make something tasty. today I saw the Kothsu and I knew I have to make it. prepared it with the brinjals from my garden and this has come our perfect. thanks Asha. love the paratha and curry combo too. Delish!

Haha one of the popular email scam now! Most probably they hack the account in "Yahoo" and send the mail . I don't know why the anount is always 1200$ :)I have received one from google account. Only one way, is keep changing all ur psswrd and always talk to someone before proceeding.I love the way ur rolled the chapati and egg curry yumyum.I am coming to ur place if u treat me with all this variety of eggplant!

Cham, I was shocked when I read it and for a moment thought it was real, then took a deep breath and deleted it! I changed the password too. Thought I better tell the whole World before somebody thinks I am asking for money next! :D

Hi Ashaji, lovely post as usual. Egg curry and paratha, really a nice combo. I really like the way u narrate the story of the movies. I did feel the same for paa and everybody's fine is on top of my list. Looking forward for next wednesday.Regards,

Wow what a visual treat..indeed its a spread...count me in, he he. Loved all the entries and the pictures are too good, inviting:)Eggs is very versatile! what a color, looks like its piercing out of the screen :)square parathas are too good and yummy!!

Yes, that performance was great...But they did the same thing in the last year's European championship too..!Yeah, isn't that called phishing ? where they ask you to enter your username and password which looks like the original, yahoo or orkut or gmail login page...terrible..What a yummy feast you have here..Lovely parathas and the egg masala is tempting for egg lovers like me :-)

Jagruti, Oops! Sorry to spoil the fun of that movie, didn't realize it but hope you do watch it! :D

Gulmohar, I didn't know they did the same routine last year too. I didn't watch it I guess. This year it became a sensation in Canada and in YouTube too, loved it. Glad they won the silver! :)Phishing is crazy scary!!

Wow..ashakka..U've written exactly what was in my mind abt'paa'..n their Ice skating is superb..!!!..we both are fan of their videos on utube.

OMG!!! that so scary, reg scam,,thanks for that info..and ur recipes..I dont have any words..they r just a treat..I was never known abt 'eggplant' varieties..n so is the okra raitha..hats off to u..Ashakka..we had snow in Our place, TX yesterday..after a long waiting..n we njoyed a LOT!!Have a lovely week dear:)

The scam sounds scary Asha...thanks for letting us know about this. Wow so many lovely spreads...everything looks awesome, I love the Punjabi meals especially...I think my husband is going to love this when I prepare the same :)

Asha Akka, truly your punjabi egg masala makes me drool... Lovely color I just kept going back to the pic over and over again ;) Lovely parathas and I sincerely wish I was invited for dinner!!! Okra pachadi and rasavangi are delightful... Havent tried sampangi Pithlai I would love to for sure... Yeah I saw that ice dancing I was just amazed :)

Asha, my jaw dropped when I saw them skating to bollywood tune, it was awesome. Loved your Orka pachadi. I would love to make it .I had mixed feelings abour Paa too, for some reason its hard to watch movies where kids get hurt, same with MNIK.

I love ajwain, and I love your parathas with ajwain in it. Must taste great with the egg curry. Oh, I am so craving some egg curry now!

Other than rasavangi, the other 2 eggplant dishes are new to me. We rarely have eggplant - it is not very high on our favourites! I deep fry (!) my eggplant for my raita, your version seems very interesting, can't wait to try!!

Nice recipes...some known & other new flavors for me...parantha, egg curry known ones but rest kind of different or new, never tasted okra in yogurt...& u r so right about home made garam masala....store bought is just like some powder(that too x'tra fine) by mistake bought one long time back.....never did the mistake again not even by mistake...Lol...

Its raining Eggplants here.Such a spread.Never tried these though I have made bittergrd pithlai.Love the okra salad and the square parathas.Never knew about the email scam.Here anonymous comments are making rounds thgh and had a fair share of these Would love to watch Everybody's Fine.TRULY Touching.

I usually prefer rice to parathas, blame it on my typically southie upbringing, but of late I've been wanting to make chapaties/parathas. I usually make round(ish) or triangular(ish) ones, but square (ish, as mine will inevitably be) seem like a nice change!

I was all eager to make the punjabi egg masala, until I realised that I need to make the punjabi garam masala powder FIRST... so I just ended up wishing I was your neighbour, Asha :)

Punjabi egg masala makes me crave. Appreciate the way you make lovely parathas. Still I am trying to make a chapathi round:) Eggplant in any form is a treat to to me. I will try yours one by one. well said about slimy okra. Thanks for the tips on making it edible. That email fraud is disgusting:(

Hi Asha!! how have you been? remember me??well i had stopped blogging in between have started off again...it feels gr8 to be back.love that spread...but then its your blog...the recipes have to be out of the world.

Oooh what a fare! Lovely recipes and pictures and a descriptive way to pay parathas.. I have to look up this author David who writes funny short stories. I have been reading short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri, Eudora Welty and Anton Chekhov and each has been dishing out morbid emotionally draining stories even though very well written. I need a bread with some funny ones for a change.. thanks for sharing.

asha i love what you serve up every time, absolutely delicious. i am going to give the punjabi masala egg a shot tom. and scary stuff about the blogger scam! i make ajwain parathas too but i roll them and make them like lacha parathas.

That egg curry looks awesome!!!!! what a beautiful color. I have never made square parathas (thanks for the steps) and also never added shahjeera to my paratha, but I can imagine the flavor.

That yogurt okra makes me want to have some now..

I agree with you in Paa. I also thought that the movie could have done alright without the political part.. could have been a sweet family movie,, instead of trying to achieve what every other movie does.. I still liked it when i forced myself of the shortcomings.:-)

I've heard about that email scam too but in a different way like they rob the email address of your service providers (be it electricity/telephone/internet/banks) and they send email telling that you have to update the subscription details , ask for account number, bank details, credit card details etc.... so many of them here got scammed ... your story sounds similar too, should be aware of this, sure!!!

let me focus on my favourite things now, the brinjal trivia looks gorgeous, each one must be tasting different & unique, delicious!!Sampangi Pithlai sounds new for me, rich and filling in a way that it contains many vegetables and dal, must be a great comfort food!!!

Dont worry about it. If people have subscribed to your posts, they can get it as soon as you post and they'll be here in a minute..If not also, I am sure we will keep coming back to check if you have posted..and If you are Ok or Sick..

Hi friends, just want you to know that my "edit Post" section is not working since Monday. I can't get in there to type in and post anything at all (shows "error") until blogger fixes it. I can see my own post in whole with no edit logo at the bottom, check comments and go to Google reader but just can't get into my own "edit post" page. I have complained to blogger, now just have to wait until they fix it. I see it's a problem for only few bloggers, not to everybody. Don't know why?!

R, I am feeling like kicking those blogger guys in the backside today, so frustrated!! Just can't get in there into "edit Posts' thing, been writing to them and repeatedly checking today! Cleared up the cookies, Cache and history, everything they suggested, switched to Old editor, nothing works!!

Priya, square parathas are easy to make without worrying about the roundness, try it.

Asha, seems it is well known issue from feb 24 , but they didn't fix it yet, amazing see how people work! But many says, reverting to old editor works fine... Hope they fix soon, I checked in blogger help....

Thanks Yasmeen, Finla, Cham and Shankari. I will wait until this weekend and see if they fix it. May be I will have to change the whole template to get that Edit pencil back here at the bottom, it isn't showing up either. It's very frustrating!

Ajwain Paratha looks great :) I too made them after I bought my favorite spices recently :) Its healthy and tasty and gives a variation to the normal paratha right? Love the punjabi egg masala , ove all the punjabi food :)

Ann and R, yeah! Still nothing is working, like edit, photo download and publishing etc. I can see comments and I can see my own whole post here to reply but can't get into edit or publish. I am so frustrated. I will be willing to get a whole new blog but it's blogger problem, might not help either, I will try and see of it does. Enjoy the warm weather meanwhile!:)

R, just like most mental diseases which are so medically treatable, are still kept secret and untreated because of the "society", same with this problem too, whether we live in India or outside. It's not easy to tell others and get help. Hope your post helps. I checked out NC branch, will donate.

Are you having problems with your comments? Then that must be it. I was surprised to see only 2 comments published when I got here, as by the time I usually manage to get here there would be at least 70! LOL

Love your square paratha and the flavours in it. Remember making these for my daughter when she was small. Different shapes would get her to eat them quicker.Have watched Everyone's Fine and enjoyed it. :)

Aparna, I can't go to edit post even today. Y'day I got my own domain and every single comments I had for 4 years disappeared. Some are back, most are gone. Let's see if they fix it after this blog transfer to new domain. I am so frustrated since last Monday!

lol! R, only 2 things I can get into in my blogs now are "view blog" and "comment moderation" in settings, can't even open other blogs properly or comment easily (shows "error 404"), lost 90% of all my comments as well. Got tired of it all on Friday, decided to take a break and just waiting for the blogger to fix all these. They say it takes another 3 days, let's see!

I know how it feels when problem like this happens, especially when the hard work and memories (comments) of a very long time are lost. I suggest that you keep a private back-up blog (I don't know if you have one but make one now). At least, the recipes will be saved. "HOPE" everything will be fine and your comments be restored soon.

Ashakka, I just came to see why no posts from you and I was shocked to note only 21 comments. After reading thro the comments I know what you are going thro. Hope things get settled soon. I missed your comments for the last two posts esp. since it was your blog on my spotlightblog series. Wish you get back your blog along with all the comments soon.

Nandini, back up blog is a great idea, I will do that ASAP. Thank God none of my posts are gone but only the comments have disappeared although I do regret losing them.

FL, Jaya and K, so sorry I am missing your posts girls. I can't log into other blogs as well, it shows error and codes most of the time. Last time I commented in other blogs was on last Friday I think. I am checking everyday whether they fixed it, so far it's the same. I will come and check your posts as soon as I can be able to. I have 2 posts to go but can't get into the Edit post!

Hi hi i thought i was in the wrong place as there was only few comments ;-)Looks like you are still having problem with blogger. Have they fixed it, looks like no, as you haven't posted for a while.Or are you budy with Trish as she is there for her school break.You must be having lots of fun with her andi am sure you are cooking and cooking to give her home food.Enjoy there.

Finla, everything is a mess in my blogger, I can only view the full page here, that's it. 90% of my comments have gone too, trying to get them back.Can't even comment properly in other blogs too, so taking a break. Hopefully, they fix it next week atleast.Trisha is going back Sunday.Yeah! Cooked lot non-veg dishes she likes whole week. I feel great when she is here! :)

Vinita, official Spring is still few days away but looks like we have it here already. It's been very warm and Sunny, some rain, of course Spring allergy has started too.Trisha loves the UNC campus and classes too, have made good friends. She does find it little confusing with Lab papers etc but she is getting help. Takes time to adjust to "college" level! :DGo ahead and mail I don't mind at all. Just that I don't check the mail often but will surely talk to you after this weekend! :)

That's a lovely spread! All dishes looks awesome!! And, the Winter Olympics was too good... Most of the events, really tough to perform! Very talented participants!! I watched the ice skating too...Also, i too received the e-mail you said. But the story is un-believable. So, just deleted that!

Hi Asha, Howzu?, I saw your foodie's never had time to post comments!!, how good is that?, I am always short of time!!, I wanted more than 24 hours in a day!!, comming back to the spreads in your kitchen First of all the clicks are great I loved those 3 cup serving bowls!!, The parathas and the step by step photos are great, The egg masala is looking great, as I don't eat eggs like that I can substitute it for vegetables I suppose, My favs are Rasavangi, pithalai and kothsu and of course Okra pacchadi!! Totally awesome spread!!, and thanks for sharing about the scam, Hope all your blogging problems are fixed by now. come back soon...

hanks Anu, Jayasri, Shree and Khaugiri, I appreciate it. I will see you soon in your blogs. Right now there are lots of blogger problems for me, I will try and come back on Wednesday, hopefully it will be fixed soon! :)

Thanks Rachel and Sharmila. It's been 2 weeks since my blog went crazy, even now I have trouble logging in too sometimes. Hope they fix it soon. Right now I am taking a break until it fixed, it's frustrating but there is nothing else I can do other than being very patient! :)

Just wanted to check and see how you are doing since I haven't seen you around for a while now and no new posts too ! Only when I came here I understand you are having problems with the blog, hope they fix it soon. Take care !

Yes Manasi. Can't get to "edit post" since March 5th and also have problems with posting comments in other blogs as well.Only things I can get into is this whole page to reply and my gmail, nothing else. I have been complaing to blogger help page, nothing happens. I log on to chek once a day and go away disappointed, really frustating. I am catching up with reading, and enjoying the weather now.Happt Spring to you, hopefully it gets warmer there as well! :)

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